This is some general guidelines on how to organize a 20 hour street medic training in your area. This information was written out by Atlanta Resistance Medics (ARM) after hosting street medic trainings with very limited resources. Feel free to edit and adjust it as you see fit.

1.Contact known street medic trainers. Go with their preferred dates (typically this is a Friday, Saturday, Sunday training).

2. Find a space. Look for spaces where it is ok to be loud, and where you can have the space for the entire weekend. You will need room for about 20 people to move around freely. Make sure it is mobility accessible and there is option for multiple forms of transportation (or set up a ride-share).

3. Open registration. Have folks register for the training. We found using Google Doc’s form feature very useful because it inputs the data directly into spreadsheets for you. Be sure to ask questions about contact information (email and phone), allergies, if they are coming from out of town and need housing, and if they have any access or food related needs. Ask for a donation of money if the trainers are coming from out of town to pay for their travel costs. Advertise on medic wiki, Facebook, and listservs.

4. Create information packets. Create welcome packets for folks who register with all the information they need. See examples below.

ONE MONTH - 3 WEEKS OUT

5. Close registration. Close registration once it is filled. However, create a wait list because people do inevitably bail.

6. Confirm. Confirm that your space is set, make sure you have enough chairs and all the supplies you need (see supply list).

7. Find someone to take on providing a staple lunch meal on Saturday and Sunday. This is important, do not do this piece yourself in addition to other logistics – it is just too much work. If your space has a kitchen,you can have someone designated to cook a meal on those days. Ask participants to bring something to contribute (don’t expect a lot) and snacks. Talk to local Food Not Bombs about getting food donations.

3 WEEKS - 2 WEEKS OUT

8. Communicate with the trainers, and iron out details. Communicate with the trainers in person or on a conference call a few weeks out to iron out any remaining details. Double check supply list. Ask what supplies the trainers will or will not provide for their demos. Check to see if there are any last remaining needs.

9. Begin to find volunteers for mass casulty demos on the final training day. The more the merrier. People are flaky and may not show, and the more volunteers you have the better of demo it can be.

ONE WEEK OUT

10. Send out reminders. Text, call, and email people who registered to confirm that they are going to attend. If they bail out, fill their spot with someone on the wait list. Re-emphasize that they must attend the entire training in order to become a street medic. Make sure they understand that they must be on time. Also send out reminders to any volunteers (food, space, demos, etc).

11. Pack up supplies and visit space. Take all your supplies to the space and visit the space to ensure it is ready (enough chairs, clean, ready for food prep). Make signs to post on location doors or at street corners to help direct people to the right place if the space is not easily found.

12. Last minute check-in. Double check with people hosting out of town folks that they are ready for hosting. Double check with trainers for last minute needs.

7. White boards and markers for the trainers (the more you have the better)

8. Chairs

9. Quick kits (gloves, gauze, roller bandages, eye flush bottles, triangle bandages) for all attendees to be used in the demos (they don't need to be sterile, but don't include latex gloves since there will likely be at least one person with a latex allergy)

For fake tear gas canisters to be used in demos, take two cups, put some dry beans inside, and tape them together securely with duct tape so they have some weight with the throw. Bring noise makers(megaphone, whistles, etc) and cop uniforms. For fake batons, a stick wrapped in electrical tape is sufficient.For fake pepper spray, a sprayer bottle with water inside works well. To make scenes even more realistic, soap dyed red makes excellent fake blood and washes off easily. Think about demo scenarios and bring any other props that may make it more realistic. Talk to the trainers about what props they think they'll need.

12. Tarps to keep down the mess of demos if indoors

13. Information about local medical collective- Hand outs about harder to
understand concepts (like SAMPLE) and important things to remember (like self care)

14. Hand outs of resources for further learning

15. Information about upcoming opportunities to medic

16. Name tags

EXAMPLE WELCOME PACKET TEXT

MEDIC TRAINING WELCOME PACKET

Thank you for registering for Atlanta Resistance Medic’s Street Medic Training to be held on April 6th, 7th, and 8th! I am sure you have some questions about how to prepare and details about location and time. This packet is here to answer those questions for you. Of course, if you have additional questions, please contact XXXX directly at EMAIL or via phone at XXXX.

WHAT TIME IS THE TRAINING?

The training will be held April 6-8th at the following times:
April 6: 6pm - 10pm
April 7: 9am – 6:30pm
April 8: 9am – 6:30pm
Please note: You must be on time for the training. Individuals later than 30 minutes will not be able to attend. This is because there is a lot of information to cover in a very short amount of time, and what we cover in 30 minutes is the equivalent of one workshop’s worth of information….so please be on time! If you know that you are often late to events, make sure you leave early to compensate.

WHERE IS THE TRAINING?

The training is being graciously hosted by the collective house called XXXXX. The address is XXXXXXX.{Info about the space - history/community relevance, if it is public or someone's home, etc}

HOW DO WE GET THERE?

It would be best to drive or to bike. There is not a convenient MARTA train stop near that location. Bus lines do run closely to their, but MARTA buses are unreliable and it is very important that you are on time for the training.

WHERE DO WE PARK?

If you come by bike, there is excellent bike parking on the property. If you come in a car, you will need to park around the property in the neighborhood. Please see the attached Google map.

WHAT ABOUT FOOD?

Snacks will be provided, as will one staple dish for lunch. All of this will be vegetarian/vegan. However, I am sure we all like to eat, so please bring something to contribute to lunch time! Let’s make this meal a potluck!

WHAT ABOUT DRINKS?

Running water is not available at this location. However, we will be brining water for people to drink during this training. We will also try to bring some hot teas as well. If you are addicted to coffee, it is best to bring some of your own. I will do my best to turn up a coffee machine, but I don’t own one, so I cannot promise that I will be able to get one.

…WAIT, NO RUNNING WATER?

Yes. This also means that the house is on a compost toilet system. Don’t be afraid, this system is very easy to use, is clean, and does not smell! It also a small step towards saving the planet by not wasting somuch water! We will tell you more at the training.

WHAT ABOUT ELECTRICITY?

There will be electricity, though unless you are taking notes with a laptop, there won’t be much need for it. The space we will be in is very well lit with natural light.

WHAT SHOULD I WEAR?

Dress for being in a semi-outdoor space. It will be shaded, but doesn’t have central air and may be hot. Also, for Sunday you want to wear clothes that you don’t mind getting slightly dirty or wet as we will be practicing different medic scenarios on a large scale that day.

SPECIAL NOTE FOR SMOKERS

There are individuals attending this meeting who are extremely allergic to cigarette smoke. This means that smoking within the walls of the property is not permitted. We will be asking everyone who wants to smoke or take a smoke break to leave the property and smoke on the public sidewalk of XXXXX.